


Leaves in Your Hair, Lend Your Hand to Me

by Lazchan



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-01-04 06:24:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12163299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lazchan/pseuds/Lazchan
Summary: When Yuuri was young, he was left alone in the forest and raised himself to the best of his ability. Years down the line, a cat found its way to his doorstep and claimed he was a witch. It was only the start of the weirdness in his life-- the dragon was almost normal by the time he showed up.





	1. Prolouge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thehobbem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehobbem/gifts), [13thSyndicate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/13thSyndicate/gifts).



When Yuuri was abandoned in the forest, he was just old enough to remember blurry images of his family, but no names or faces every stayed firm in his mind. He was old enough to miss them in his dreams, but the waking world was filled with making sure he survived. It helped that the Forest adopted him after a fashion; it directed his feet to a path that led him to a cottage near the edge of the woods.

 

He learned that if you asked just the right way, sometimes the forest would give you something you needed; when he was younger, he asked as sparingly as he could, but to get just the right sort of answers. He already knew how to read; and to cook and clean and even though his results were sketchy and lacking at first, he was never without the tools to help himself. There was a single dust-covered cookbook in the corner of the pantry and Yuuri would gather the wild roots in the forest and fish from the stream that never seemed to be too far from his new home. 

 

The cottage wasn’t big or so he thought; it was just big enough for him, but sometimes if he turned the corner by looking over his shoulder, he ended up in a completely different part of the cottage; a room he didn’t know that existed in what he thought was a one-room home. It was in one of the hidden rooms that he found the other books. He wasted most of an afternoon and part of the night with one particularly heavy volume in his lap, tracing over the words and trying to make sense of things. He was vaguely aware that it was like a cookbook in that it contained recipes, but nothing that was easy as baked fish or roasted vegetables. These contained working with a variety of plants and sometimes a bit of poem was slanted along side in curling letters, almost too difficult to read. 

 

With every frequent visit to the room, he wore his own path between the main room of the cottage and a few of the rooms tucked away and it took no effort at all for him to step between the two spaces. He slowly carved out a life for himself in his cottage at the edge of the forest and soon, even the vague memories of home faded into nothing but dreams.

 

Yuuri grew up in the forest, with his books for company and the occasional passerby, but mostly he spent his days in solitude, studying from the spellbooks and history books, learning about the forest and the animals that lived there; abou the people that would stay around the fringes and these that just passed through. He never felt he was anything special at all, even when he got thanks for the medicines and other simples he made for those that the forest led his way. He was nothing extraordinary and he always thought he would be that way. 

 

So his life went until the kitten showed up on his doorstep, shivering and sick and threatening to tear Yuuri into shreds if he hurt him or gave him anything nasty to drink. Yuuri simply held the cat close while he read over another one of the recipes to help speed along the healing of felines; specially worded because cats were contrary to everything else and whoever wrote this particular formula knew cats and arranged their words to the maximum potential.

 

Three days later, the cat was sitting on his table with a pilfered fish and a smug look, giving the name “Yuri.” 

 

~

 

“...my name is Yuuri.” It wasn’t so strange that he thought the cat was talking, but even an imaginary conversation deserved an answer of some sort. “It doesn’t make sense that you can be Yuri, too.”

 

“You really are a dumb sort of witch, aren’t you?” the cat stretched out his toes and began cleaning them. “It can make sense. There’s a least ten people named Jack and another set named Jill and for some reason, they’re always carrying buckets. You’re gonna think sharing a name with a cat is strange?”

 

Yuuri blinked at that and then shrugged; it made sense. He couldn’t remembering ever meeting another Yuuri, but he didn’t leave his part of the forest all that much and usually only to the far stream or when the pathway of the forest shifted so that he got more than just the foraging that was around his cottage. His mind went back to the first comment. “I’m not a witch,” he said, eyeing the cat and pulling out the remaining fish so he could start preparing it for dinner. 

 

“You did a spell,” the cat’s expression was somehow condescending. He spoke slowly as if he thought Yuuri was slow in the understanding. “You did something weird with the plants in your place and spoke the spell and you made me better.” He shuddered all over. “Even though you made it nasty when I told you not to, you made it better.” He jumped onto the counter next to Yuuri and swiped at a piece of fish under Yuuri’s hand. “You’re feeding me, right? If I’m going to be a cat to such a dumb witch, I need food.” 

 

“You’re the one that’s not very smart if you think that I’m a witch,” Yuuri turned his body in front of the fish, but the cat was so small and skinny that his heart hurt a little and he gave him more fish. “I have to get more fish if you’re going to stay here.” 

 

“Hmph,” Yuri took the fish carefully from Yuuri’s hands. “Do you normally talk to cats?”

 

“You’re the first one I met,” Yuuri said honesty. Cats were very particular and only really showed up around witches. He was certain that once Yuri was fed and feeling better, he would be on his way to an actual witch. “Just because you came across my home, doesn’t mean that I’m a witch, you know. Or that I’m talking to you. I…. you could just be my imagination. That’s why you have my name.”

 

“I can’t believe I decided to come and see such a dumb witch,” Yuri groaned. Still, he didn’t move that far away and even if it was just for the food, Yuuri could pretend otherwise. “Guess I’ll have to stick around until you believe me.”

 

“... you’re a very strange cat,” Yuuri said after a long moment, putting the rest of the cut up fish into a bowl and setting in down next to Yuri. “Stay here while I get more fish.” He would decide what to do later, for now he was sure that he had either had a talking cat that was very confused as to what witches were, or he was so lonely that he was imagining the whole conversation. Either way, he needed more fish.

 

“I’m a  _ cat _ , I’m exactly how I’m supposed to be,” he huffed, eating the fish faster now that he was aware that he would be getting more and then gave Yuuri a hopeful look. “You wouldn’t have milk, would you?”

 

“From what cow?” Yuuri demanded, but he gave a reluctant nod. “I got it from the last person I sold one of my creations to.” With the expectant look practically burning a hole in him, he got out the bottle and poured a little in a small dish. The cat was officially eating better than he was at the moment.  _ He needs it more, though…. It will only be until he’s all better. _

 

“And I’m sure it worked just as well as what you made for me,” Yuri yawned and wandered over to where the one window was displaying a block of warm sunlight. Within moments, he was asleep and left Yuuri wondering just what he had done.

 

“I think I have to look at one of those books again,” he muttered. “If I made the cat talk to me by feeding it something weird…” It wasn’t completely out of the realm of possibility; some of the plants that grew in the forest had more than unusual properties. He gave one last look to the cat asleep in the sunlight and then left the main room to retrieve the book he had used to create the medicine for Yuri. 

 

There had to be some sort of explanation and it couldn’t be because he was a witch. He was just himself and nothing more.

 

~

 

In the other room, Yuri had opened up one eye to watch the witch vanish from one space to another and he made a half-almost laugh of a sound. “Dumb witch,” he said fondly. He was going to stay here and look after the witch. He was still pretty young now, but being a cat, he was obviously better than any human or witch and more than a match to look after a young witch. 

 

It had been surprising to find the witch didn’t already have a cat, but he had barely found the place himself. He was pretty sure that the forest kept most people and animals away from the witch’s home, but it practically dumped him on the front steps. He preened his whiskers, smug. 

 

_ That just means that I can keep the witch all for myself. _ It was probably going to take awhile to get the witch to understand things, especially since he claimed he wasn’t one. It was obvious as anything and Yuri was going to have to make sure he  _ knew _ and how lucky he was to have Yur as his cat. 

 

He would have to convince him to provide more fish and milk, too-- but milk meant either a goat or a cow of some sort and that meant  _ people _ and Yuri wanted the witch to realize what he could do first before other people came in and did what humans did and screwed it all up. He glanced back towards the spot where the witch had gone, deciding that he had been gone long enough and he was hungry for more fish. With a twitch of his tail, he stepped over the invisible line to remind the witch to stop trying to find reasons that weren’t there and to get more food. 

 

Yuuri was completely ignoring the fact that Yuri walked in, which was insulting, and instead over a large book, fingers tracing over something written down, mouthing the words. “What spell are you working on now?” he asked and Yuri flattened his ears at the undignified yelp that Yuuri made. “You said you were going to get fish and it doesn’t look like there is any fish here.” 

 

“You already had two servings of fish,” Yuuri said absently. “And a bowl of milk.” He was staring down at the book instead of at Yuri. “I can’t see what I gave you that would cause you to talk. I’m sorry if that’s actually a problem. It might wear off…”

 

“You’re not listening,” Yuri huffed and walked over, draping himself over the book so that the witch would focus on him instead of silly spells. “You can hear me because I decided you’re a dumb enough witch that you need me here to take care of you. If you give me fish and milk and maybe some other good food, I can help you with your spells so that you can do better at them.”

 

“If I was a witch, I would be a girl.” The logic of that was just so human that Yuri ignored it. “And don’t you have to learn how to be one?”

 

“You learned from the books,” Yuri was confident in that. “Someone had to be the first witch.” He yawned, bored and butted his head against Yuuri’s chest. “Now stop being stupid and get up and show me where we can get fish.” He gave Yuuri a critical look. “It looks like I’ll have to make sure you get enough for the both of us, since you obviously are stupid enough to give away all your food.”

 

Yuuri scowled at him, but he moved to get up when Yuri jumped off the book. “You’re really bossy,” he muttered. 

 

“Do you even know cats?” Yuri snorted. He really was hungry and if he got the witch to make something, then he would have even better food to share with him. “We know better than you, so of course we’re going to be bossy with it.”

 

“You’re just a kitten,” Yuuri rolled his eyes, scooping him up before he had a chance to bolt. “You can’t know that much more than I do.” The pause between the rooms was shorter this time and Yuri almost saw the shimmer of a door this time. 

 

“You’re not that much older than I am,” Yuri smirked and kept himself nestled in Yuuri’s arms. If the witch wanted to carry him around and prevent him from tiring himself out while going fishing, then he wasn’t going to protest. Once he got his strength back it would be another matter, but for now, he would allow it. This way he was able to keep a closer eye on his witch, too. 

 

“You really need to learn about cats,” Yuri said blandly. “Even kittens know better than the oldest human.”

 

“That’s why you’re asking me to get food for you instead of you getting your own?” Yuuri asked. The forest shifted around them, subtle enough that the witch didn’t seem to notice, but Yuri did. Not three feet from where they were standing was a pond, the water moving with more than just a breeze. He could smell the fish that were residing in the pond, but it wasn’t as if there were a lot. 

 

“... this isn’t the usual stream,” Yuuri murmured, looking confused and setting Yuri down next to the water. He knelt down in the muddy bank next to it, uncaring that his clothes were getting dirt ground into them. 

 

Yuri decided not to point out that it was a pond, because it looked as if the witch was thinking hard and Yuri could see the potential wrapping its way around Yuuri. He wasn’t about to interrupt him, but he could nudge things into a way that would be beneficial to the both of them. “Ponds don’t have enough fish...and I’m not sure where this pond was originally…” he was mumbling to himself or so it seemed, but his head lifted as he rested his hands in the edge of the water. 

 

“Are you waiting for the fish to give you an answer?” Yuri demanded. “They’re not as smart as cats, they’re not going to answer you.” 

 

“Shh, Yuri.” Yuuri relaxed after a moment and then smiled. “It’d be nice if we could keep this pond near us and I’m sure I could do something to keep fish in it so that we won’t go without…” He was half talking to Yuri and half to the forest and his hands seemed to almost shimmer with the power of his intent. Yuri peered closer, whiskers drawing forward in interest as he stared at the pond, which was smelling more of fish. 

 

“Well, we’ll have to deal with what we have for now,” Yuuri said, leaning back on his heels. He pulled out of his robes a collapsable net and Yuri blinked at that neat piece of either storage or magic and waited impatiently, tail lashing back and forth as Yuuri scooped up a large set of fish. 

 

“Well, don’t keep them all for yourself,” Yuri snapped, eyes narrowing. “I was the one that reminded you to get the fish, now give me some.” He barely gave Yuuri a grateful look as two decent sized fish were laid in front of him. Finally, he was being given something worth the work he had already put into watching over the witch. 

 

“You’re so polite,” Yuuri muttered sarcastically, but he gathered another set of fish and gathered everything carefully, before turning around and blinking at the sight of the cottage being straight in front of them again. “Huh… guess we get a pond,” he said absently. “Come on if you’re coming, unless you want to stay out here and eat your fish. I know how to grill it, though,” he said, a shy smile on his face. 

 

“Hmph,” Yuri licked his lips from the one piece of fish he finished and grabbed the other in his mouth as he followed his witch inside. He was finally starting to act like Yuri would be more than a temporary guest. Yuri had decided from the moment the witch healed him that he was going to stay here. It was good that the witch realized it, too. 

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Yuuri blinked as he realized that the fish he was saving for Yuri was gone again-- and it had been in the ice box, with a lid that had a turning handle. Yuuri had put one on when the fish would simply be eaten by an impatient Yuri. He sighed; it wasn’t as if it was a hardship getting more fish from the pond, but it was a frustrating mystery that he couldn’t solve. 

 

His glance slid over to Yuri, who was napping in the sun, completely oblivious to Yuuri’s frustration. He opened his mouth and then sighed, running a hand through his hair. Yuuri could always go outside and get more fish straight from the pond; but he didn’t really need anything at the moment and Yuri could eat it raw and enjoyed it that way. While Yuri was sleeping, he could get more studying done. He still didn’t quite believe the cat’s assessment that he was a witch, but that didn’t mean that he should stop learning the potions and medicines that were in the books that he found. 

 

It was useful when the odd traveler found his way to Yuuri’s doorstep and it didn’t matter that he was so young, they assumed he was older or an apprentice and took the medicine he made and always left bread or milk or a number of vegetables and fruit that he was working on planting in the garden so that he could have more than just the wild herbs and fish that was nearby. It was fine for Yuri to have fish, but he was overfond of milk and cream and that wasn’t native to the forest. He also gained a like for chicken after a few found their way to their doorstep. 

 

It was the first ‘gift’ Yuri had given Yuuri, but never again did he want to be woken up with feathers in his hair and beady-eyed stare of a dead chicken meeting his horrified gaze. He was grateful that it was very dead, but less fond of sweeping out a mess of feathers and cleaning up the trail of blood that led not only into the hidden room in the back, but in Yuuri’s sheets. Yuuri still wasn’t sure how a kitten as small as Yuri had managed it, but after Yuuri had woken up, he had also wasted no time in demanding it be cooked.

 

_ You’ll starve, stupid witch, if you don’t eat something more than stupid forest plants and nuts. I guess I’ve have to hunt for you until another human comes by and gives you food.  _

 

Yuuri hesitated at the entrance, turning to Yuri, who was lifting his head as if he knew Yuuri was about to ask a stupid question. “Should I… go into town one day?” he asked, biting his lip. It would be a lot easier to get things in town, he knew that much.

 

“Do you even know where town is?” Yuri asked, yawning and jumping from the ledge to the table, to better stare at Yuuri. “Would you even know how to talk to people there? You’re too young. Humans are weird and they wouldn’t let you leave town again to come home.” He paused and shook his head. “Stupid witch. People that need you can find you here and you can ask them to get you stuff.”

 

“You mean, you like it here,” Yuuri smiled and down across from Yuri, reaching out hesitantly to pet between his ears. If he was in a good mood, he’d allow Yuuri to do it. “I don’t remember being in a town before, I just remember the forest. Is it really all that bad?”

 

“It’s noisy and smelly,” Yuri huffed, ears going flat. “Too many people, even if the food is good. Just stay here until we’re both big enough to not have it matter if we go into town.” 

 

Yuuri just smiled when Yuri butted his head against Yuuri’s hand. Yuri was already growing, getting to be the size of a full-sized cat. It would still be hard for Yuri to go into a messy sort of town. It was better to just stay here in the Forest. He didn’t need anyone else.  

 

“Then we need to go outside and get more food,” he said, standing up abruptly. “I keep thinking I get fish and milk, but it’s all gone.” He poked Yuri’s nose, earning an outraged look for the move. “We have to hold off on milk, but I can at least ask the pond to give us a different set of fish this time so that we can have more variety.”

 

Yuri blinked at him, somehow looking innocent. “Maybe you sleep walked in the middle of the night and ate it the fish,” he suggested. 

 

“I’m not like you, I don’t crave raw fish,” Yuuri muttered. “I’d blame  _ you _ , but you don’t have the hands to open up the ice chest.”

 

“So then you got taste in the middle of the night and ate the fish the way it’s supposed to be eaten,” Yuri said seriously, whiskers pushed forward in amusement. “You said itself, it can’t be me. I’m just a cat without thumbs.”

 

Yuuri gave him a suspicious look, but nodded slowly. He hadn’t fed Yuri anything weird recently and he was no longer as scrawny or sickly as he had been as a kitten. There had been no need for medicine. “Well, are you going to come out with me?” he asked. “We can ask for your favorite fish.”

 

“You mean  _ you _ will make the fish I want appear,” Yuri pointed out. “Dumb witch, one day you’ll realize it’s you and not the forest that makes things happen.” He jumped off the table and strode to the door, tail flicking back and forth. “But as long as you get me my fish, I don’t mind that you’re dumb.”

 

“I’m not dumb,” Yuuri protested, grabbing the net for the fish, opening the door and waiting for Yuri to precede him outside. “If I was a witch, I would be able to do magic to get us more stuff.” Yuuri was going to need more clothing for one; there was only so many ways he could stretch out the fabric, even if he did seem to last an unexpectedly long time.  _ Maybe the weaver that sold me it was really talented… _

 

“Hmph, don’t think so hard about it.” He stopped clear in front of the pond, so there was no chance of getting his paws wet. “Now, I’d like--” he listed off a number of fish, several of which wasn’t even  _ possible _ in a freshwater pond, but Yuuri felt so guilty about the missing fish he had planned to give Yuri, it wouldn’t hurt to try.

 

“How do you even know the names of so many fish?” He asked instead.  _ He _ had read up on all sorts of animals and plants; trying to learn the best food to eat and grow for the two of them, but Yuri hadn't been with him during some of those research sessions. He He wished he could make the garden grow faster, because there were so many plants that would be needed for both of them. The books he found listed a plethora of fauna, with a side note of ‘the truly determined need not wait until the proper season.’

 

“I'm smarter than you realize,” Yuri’s tail twitched back and forth in amusement. “I have to be smarter than you, because you're helpless.”

 

Yuuri protested that he wasn't, but most of his attention was on the pond, which was started to bubble a little. There was a suspicious, strong smell of salt water for a moment and in the time it took Yuri to blink, the witch was flipping out fish after fish into a suddenly convenient bucket. 

 

“That should be enough of that kind,” he murmured to himself and the smell of salt water faded from the pond. Yuri gave Yuuri a wide-eyed stare; in disbelief that he had changed either the nature of the pond or connected it to some place that he had never seen. “Is that good for you, Yuri?” 

 

Yuri managed to make a sound of agreement when Yuuri focused on the other fish in the pond, and soon another bucket was filled. “I hope this fish doesn’t go missing,” Yuuri fussed. “I want to make sure that if we don’t have anything else for awhile, we have a least a little variety.” 

 

“Next time some idiot humans comes by needing some potion to grow hair or be able to walk a straight line, ask for a goat or something,” Yuri huffed, leaning up onto the bucket and sniffing at the fish inside. He brightened for a moment and looked up at Yuuri hopefully. “Or more chickens. Those were fun to eat.” 

 

“... just kill them outside,” Yuuri sighed, nudging Yuri to the side and grabbing the buckets. “It took more than half the day to clean up all the blood.”

 

“But you found another room when you did it,” Yuri pointed out, proud of himself for helping that along. 

 

“Yes, because we need more rooms,” Yuuri rolled his eyes. “You never leave the window seat, you’re in it all the time. Do you really need a room of your own?” he asked.

 

“You could have an actual room to sleep in,” Yuri pointed out, following Yuuri into the kitchen and watching as he put all but a few pieces of the fish away. “And now that you mention it, I deserve my own room, too.” He paused to snatch a small fish, tearing it apart with his claws and teeth. “One with a window that always has sun.” 

 

Yuuri blinked at him, looking as if he was seriously contemplating the demand, before shrugging and turning back to the fish, using the knife he had traded for last season. He cut careful strips, using the few herbs he had left to season it. Yuri ate his fish raw all the time and soon Yuuri was going to have to follow, unless they got lucky and the traders came through soon. 

 

As he watched the fish fry in the last bit of fat they had, Yuri hoped that his witch would be able to see someone soon, or else he was going to have to take matters into his own hands. But he wasn’t sure if he was ready to take that next step yet.  He wasn’t sure how the witch would react. 

 

_ If he wasn’t a dumb witch, he’d know already _ , he soothed his conscience as he ate another piece of fish that Yuuri gave him, this time cut up in easy to eat pieces and on his own dish.  _ I can wait to tell him _ . 

 

~

 

It wasn’t long before a traveler did come by; carrying items to trade for the town. He was, by far, the most well-stocked traveler that either of them had seen in a long time. There had been a number of things left over by the previous tenant that made life in the cottage liveable, but having something new, such as oils for cooking or soap for cleaning, made life more than just that. Yuuri perked up at the mention of fabric that could be used for a number of things, including bedding. 

 

“Maybe something’s telling us to get that extra room,” he murmured to Yuri, who stood by his feet, looking as ordinary as a cat could be. The trader was busy rummaging through his items to display them for Yuuri.  “He has an entire wagon full of items we can trade for.” He hesitated, tracing his fingers over the potions for growth, for heat and cold-- and a number of medicinal potions that Yuuri had worked on for the last month. Fever and cough, broken bones and itchy eyes. “Do you think that they’re useful for trading?”

 

“Of course they’re useful,” Yuri wished he could display his disgust at Yuuri’s obliviousness more suciently. “Humans like easy answers to things,” he pointed out, as the trader came back with a number of items. 

 

“Just like cats?” Yuuri asked, raising an eyebrow at Yuri. He discovered that cats either wanted the world handed to them, or they would make everything around them into the biggest trial possible. 

 

“Cats are much smarter,” Yuri said, giving him an outraged look, insulted at the very insinuation that a cat was anything like a human. 

 

“Yes, like that time you thought you got locked outside, when there was a window open next to you,” Yuuri said, mouth quirking up at the side. He didn’t notice the first puzzled, then pleased look the trader gave him. 

 

“Ah, I heard that witches can understand cats, but I didn’t think it was a true thing. You’re the first witch I met.” He tilted his head, setting down the fabric down on the portable table he had brought with him. “You’re not what I expected,” he said frankly.  

 

“Well, you don’t look old enough to be wandering around on your own, either,” Yuri shot back, defensive over what seemed to be an insult towards Yuuri. Only he was allowed to insult his witch. It was true-- the boy looked barely of an age to be considered old enough by human standards to wander alone through the dangerous woods and towns. 

 

“Yuri, be polite,” Yuuri scolded. “You told me the same thing.”   
  
“Yeah, but you’re a dumb witch and you have me looking after you.” Yuri pointed out the obvious. 

 

“I’m not sure what your cat said,” the young man said carefully, “but I’m pretty sure my dog insults me at times and I can’t understand him. It’s the way of pets, I’m sure.” He gave him that bright, easy, smile again. “I don’t mind any words, as long as we can do business. I have a great many clients that would be thrilled with potions from a witch.” 

 

“You just want to make more money,” Yuri said, tone scathing, “by being more exclusive.” He considered it, relenting a little as Yuuri looked actually happy over some of the more random items that the trader set out.  _ Yuuri _ was happy with this, at the very least. “At least you realize it,” he grudgingly admitted. He  _ could _ say it, because the trader couldn’t hear him. 

 

Yuuri collected cloth and candles, seeds of all sorts and a number spices and oils. Yuri walked over to the wagon, huffing slightly. “Why doesn’t anyone ever have actual  _ meat _ ?” he grumbled. “You’d think a trader…”

 

“Not when they can get it from a butcher in town, Yuri,” Yuuri looked up. “It’s hard to keep something like that fresh… he does have smoked meat, though,” he gave him a hopeful smile. “It’s not the same, I know, but…”

 

“Then ask him to come back again,” Yuri snapped, stalking back over to Yuuri. 

 

“... what does he want?” the man asked, collecting the potions that he negotiated for. “I can always come back again, if there’s something specific that you both would need, as long as I can be your exclusive buyer of the potions you make.” 

 

“You don’t even know if they work and you want to buy them,” Yuri would roll his eyes if he could. “Dumb trader.” It was said with a modicum of tolerance; this person wasn’t treating Yuuri like a kid and wanted to continue helping them by bringing them needed items. Yuuri couldn’t create everything out of pure magic and reading the books over Yuuri’s shoulders emphasized that a base in everything was needed to make the magic work as smoothly as possible and with the best results. 

 

Yuuri leaned down and absently scratched Yuuri behind one ear. “He wants the same thing you suggested; coming back here to trade, bringing us specific items,” he said slowly, frowning a little. “You really can’t hear him?” he asked suddenly. 

 

“I can hear him meowing at you, but I’m not a witch and so I can’t hear your cat.” There was confusion on his face as well, but it slid away at the prospect of adding a specific person to his list of customers, and a witch at that. “Why don’t we work out something?”

 

“You better not let this idiot human take advantage of you, Yuuri,” Yuri warned. “Don’t just give away your magic for free.”

 

“I’m only giving him medicines and such,” Yuuri huffed and Yuri inwardly groaned.  _ Dumb witch, dumb witch… he needs to actually do something with  _ actual _ tangible magic that even he can’t deny to finally wake up to the fact he’s a witch _ .  _ My presence should be enough.  _

 

He tuned out a little at Yuuri learning the trader’s name -- Leo -- and focused instead on what Yuuri ultimately ended up getting. He thought he actually did a decent job with it all; even if Yuri himself hadn’t had any personal experience, his intuition was worth more in the long run. Unless those potions were more spectacular than either of them realized, he thought it was safe to say that they came out  _ better _ for the deal, especially with what Yuuri could do with everything. 

 

Once he and Yuuri were alone again, he turned to him with what he hoped was a fierce glare. “Now that we have all this shit,  _ you _ are going to work on finding another place to store all of it. Get to it, dumb witch.” 

 

“... sweet as always, Yuri,” Yuuri sighed, wishing for a moment that Yuri was able to help to carry some of the heavier items inside. He had a point, though-- he could store some of it in the library room, but it was awkward at best. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get you more meat or milk.”

 

“We’ll figure it out next time, as long as that trader doesn’t flake out on you,” Yuri watched him all, following closely at his heels with each trip back and forth. “At least you made some smart choices…”

 

“One of these days, Yuri, you’ll have to tell me how a cat is so much smarter than anyone else,” Yuuri huffed and sat down on the soft bedding that he had actively bargained for. “You’ve been with me for a long while now. I didn’t think you had that much more experience than me.” 

 

Yuri just gave him a smug look and curled up on the other part of the bedding, cleaning a paw. “Magic.” 

 

~

 

There was plenty of food made and put out for Yuri, but there was no sign of the witch. Not in the slowly growing garden outside or in the library. It was still the only room beside the main one that Yuuri had found. The witch  _ could _ be further out in the woods, talking to trees to provide fruit for them, but he usually let Yuri know before leaving. 

 

Yuri didn’t really like it; what if Yuuri had gotten turned around in a room he didn’t know existed and wasn’t able to find the path out?  _ This  _ was why he needed a cat along. They were naturally good at finding doorways, no matter what Yuuri had said about him and the window. 

 

He would give it a day, maybe two, at the very most. He could use the break to stretch a little and practice a little more, sleep some and possibly find a spot that had the most sunlight, even if he had to go outside to find it. Yuuri had planted a spot of catnip for him and Yuri was positive that he could pull enough of his magic out to make it grow to a respectable length. 

 

If Yuuri didn’t see him doing it, then he wouldn’t know that Yuri had magic of his own. It was always best to make it perfect, so Yuuri thought he was always perfect at it, rather than any fumbling. He took the fish cake with him, admiring the smell of the different blends of fish, even more pleased at the hint of cooked chicken.  _ He remembered what I like… _ not that Yuri hadn’t told him repeatedly, but it was nice to know it hadn’t been forgotten, even when Yuuri wasn’t around to check to make sure. 

 

He got so caught up in what he was doing that he realized that it was sundown before he realized that he hadn’t even  _ heard _ from Yuuri all day. He had told himself that a day or so wouldn’t hurt, but he was also aware that even if Yuuri was a witch, he was a dumb one and by human standards, he was a  _ young _ one.  _ What if some idiot human came around when I wasn’t paying attention, like that trader? _

 

He growled under his breath, who did Yuuri think he was, making him  _ worry _ , like he  _ cared _ or something? “He probably just fell asleep,” Yuri muttered, curling up on Yuuri’s bedding in the corner of the room. At least it was softer than before, something even he wouldn’t mind sleeping on. “I hope whatever you’re doing is worth it.” 

 

Yuuri would probably show up in the morning, from whatever he got caught up in, apologizing and promising to never do it again, which he always did. He couldn’t help it, the house itself was always tugging him in different ways, trying to force him to grow as fast as he could with his magic, supplying him books and materials as carefully as it could. Yuri had read the books as well, either peering over Yuuri’s shoulder when he studied, or when the witch was asleep. He didn’t have the same kind of magic, but the more he knew about Yuuri’s, the better he could use his to help his witch.

 

When morning came, however, there was no Yuuri and the only food was the stuff that wasn’t prepared yet, but still edible. Yuuri huffed, realizing he had already gotten spoiled as he ate his food, annoyed enough that he went looking for Yuuri again. He wasn’t too surprised when he noticed a doorway to the side of the library and he started to walk through it when the  _ door _ shimmered into existence, blocking his way. 

 

“A  _ door _ ? You dumb witch! I can’t walk through doors! What are you doing in there?” he demanded. He could sense Yuuri’s presence beyond the doorway, but there was no sound of him moving around or even talking to himself like he did a lot of the time. He didn’t even respond to Yuri’s increasingly angry shouts. 

 

It had been almost two days since Yuri had actually seen Yuuri and that made him worried enough that was going to have to break his own rule to get to the idiot, just to make sure he hadn’t either poisoned or enchanted himself with any experiments that he conducted. Yuuri never followed the spells in the book exactly; he was always trying a variation or something new entirely. Yuri was positive that one day he’d wake up to find that Yuuri had shape-changed himself into something inconvenient or made all of his hair fall out. 

 

When there continued to be no reaction at all, not even the absent-minded magic that Yuuri didn’t even realize he did, Yuri rested his head against the door. “Guess I had to show you sometime,” he muttered. “But I am  _ so _ going to make you regret this.” 

 

He took a deep breath and shifted into the human form that was his other half, banging on the door with his fist. When that yielded no results, he hesitantly reached for the knob; it turned easily under his hand. He pushed open the door, frowning down at a sleeping Yuuri, surrounded by a number of flowers, all of them glowing faintly. There were all of a type--bright yellows, reds and oranges.  _ Is he trying to start a fire? _ Now that he knew that Yuuri wasn’t in any danger, he took a moment to look around the newly discovered room before he woke up the witch. 

 

It was obviously one of the main workrooms, filled with dusty herbs, hanging from the ceiling. There was nothing left for them, but the basin in the corner was somehow filled with fresh water and conveniently next to a stove that was bigger than the one in the kitchen, this one meant for potions, medicines, oils… there were bottles and jars lined up on a shelf, tongs for the fire… It was the perfect place for Yuuri and this way, he wouldn’t be making a mess in their actual cooking area. Yuri wrinkled his nose and gave the door another kick. Just as long as he wasn’t shut out again, he was pleased with the discovery. Still…

 

He shook Yuuri’s shoulder hard, making him wake up with a forceful shove, when all the shouting and banging hadn’t made a difference before. “Hey, dumb witch, wake up,” he demanded. “You’re sleeping on a spell.”

 

The shouting in his was what did it, Yuuri blinked open confused eyes to stare at Yuri. “... you look like my cat,” he said, rubbing at his face, flower petals drifting to the ground from his hair.Yuuri focused on the narrowed green eyes and the loose fitting clothing that resembled the stripes and colors of his fur. 

 

“That’s because I am your cat,” he muttered, expression sour. “Come on, idiot. What the hell sort of spell were you doing in here? Were you just playing with flowers instead of trying to find a room for us to be in that  _ isn’t _ the kitchen?” He groused, hoping his complaining would distract Yuuri from the fact he didn’t actually  _ look _ like a cat, but he didn’t want to change back until Yuuri was safely in the main room, with food and then bed. The fact that he couldn’t change back yet was irrelevant. 

 

“But that was the first thing I found,” Yuuri gave him a shy smile and stood up, revealing the bottled flowers suspended in some sort of liquid. “I found a room for you, but the window doesn’t seem to lead outside… so -- I wanted to try a… a spell, since you think that I can do them.” He clutched the bottle close to him. “Do you want to see it?”

 

“You better have found one for yourself, too,” Yuri grumbled. “I’m not sharing with you if there is more than one room that we can open up here and you can’t keep sleeping in the kitchen.” Yuuri just laughed and it was almost  _ bizarre _ how easily he seemed to accept that Yuri was a cat and not a cat at the same time. It would probably catch up with him later and Yuri would use that to his advantage to change himself back. He wasn’t sure he could keep up the deception after this, though, no matter what. 

 

“I did, Yuri,” Yuuri’s expression was still a little confused and sleepy, reaching down as if to pick him up, but looking confused when he met Yuri’s eyes direct instead. “I… it’s this way…” he said, leading Yuri to a small room that  _ looked _ like it led outside, but there was no light. Yuri opened his mouth to protest, but Yuuri upended the bottle around the window, where the liquid hung in the air, the flowers moving on their own to frame the window. Yuri watched in shock, eyes wide for a moment at the first magic that Yuuri was allowing himself to do. 

 

Sunlight filled the room, then retracted a little to fill the deep window seat area. It gave the room a bright feel, but the warmth and light was centered around the window. “I can bring your bedding in here…” Yuuri said quietly, turning to him, his expression a little sad. “I should have done this earlier, especially if you aren’t really a cat. You probably wanted your own space a long time ago.”

 

“Are you completely dumb?” Yuri rolled his eyes, going to the window and pressing his hands against the glass. “Of course I’m a cat. I can just be something else as well.” He wanted to curl up now on the large pillows and fall asleep, but Yuuri had to be taken care of first.  _ Then _ he could nap for the rest of the day. 

 

“... I never read anything about that,” Yuuri murmured, looking worried again. “Is it because of me?” he asked slowly, watching Yuri intently. 

 

Yuri crossed his arms over his chest, hiding his expression. “Yes and no,” he admitted. He would explain this much to Yuuri. “I’ve always been able to do this… it’s who I  _ am _ , so don’t think you had anything to do with this part of it.” He lifted his head and glared at Yuuri. “But I changed because of  _ you _ , dumbass. You vanished and didn’t tell me why or where and so I had to go looking for you and then you had to have a  _ door _ that I couldn’t walk through.” 

 

“So you changed because you were worried about me?” Yuuri’s smile brightened a little, causing Yuri to make a quick denial, but it wasn’t as loud as normal when it came to the question of caring. 

 

“Of course I didn’t  _ care _ about you, I was more worried about the food,” he huffed. “You know how to make all the good, weird stuff and I sure as hell wasn’t about to go  _ trading  _ with some dumb humans because you took a nap…” he grumbled. 

 

“That makes sense,” Yuuri’s smile didn’t leave, but the over-serious tone he adopted with the reply made Yuri laugh a little. He was rubbing off on the solemn witch and it was about time that some sarcasm and bite appeared. 

 

“Yeah, yeah-- now go on and show me  _ your _ room and then we’re going to sit and eat.” He pointed an accusing finger at Yuuri. “And you better not treat me any differently than before,” he demanded. “I’m still your cat and you’re still a dumb witch.” He held out a hand. “But maybe we’re both a little more.”

 

“That I can agree on,” Yuuri said easily and they spent the rest of the night moving blankets and pillows back and forth, making the rooms something more than just the blank spaces they started with. The cottage was starting to become a real  _ home _ and as long as they could keep the strangers to a minimum until both of them got a handle on what they could do, it would work just fine. 

 

~

 

The dragon showing up was  _ not _ what Yuri was expecting or even wanting. Humans were fine in their own, stupid way. They came and whined and gave things that he and Yuuri needed, but then they went way again, forgetting about the young witch and his cat that lived alone in the woods. 

 

_ Maybe humans know that cats are sufficient to take care of dumb witches _ , he thought to himself, eyes narrowing at the dragon that was in their front yard, wondering just what it was  _ doing  _ there. Dragons could cause problems, they were meddlers and all the dragons that Yuri had come across in the past were a pain in the ass and smug with thinking they knew everything. 

 

They didn’t need the meddling of a dragon around; they worked with the trader just fine and now they actually had food stored away and the start of a garden. Even if Yuri didn’t care a lot about the vegetables; Yuuri did and so did the humans that wanted “special” plants from the witch. They still hadn’t worked out a coat with  _ Leo _ or anything steady source of milk, so Yuuri was working on a spell to duplicate what they already had. The results had not been … favorable. Yuuri sulked at Yuri’s vehement order that he wasn’t to try it again. 

 

Someone had to have the brains to be able to transport it, without spoiling,  to wherever the hell their cottage was. And apparently, people in town didn’t keep  _ goats _ . They went through their own ritual of getting milk and cheese and butter and since they weren’t in town, they had no way of getting it. Leo wasn’t set to show up for a week or so and until then, they had very little cream left and while it was proper that Yuuri leave it all for Yuri, it didn’t create more to actually have it every day as he should. 

 

And now there was this  _ dragon _ , reaching into  _ his _ pond and scooping out fish. He didn’t even have the decency to stop and ask, just ate the fish and wandered away, as if he never noticed the cottage or the way that Yuri was clearly trying to kill him by the power of his gaze alone. It didn’t matter that the dragon couldn’t see the window or Yuri and probably not even the cottage itself. It was still irritating that he didn’t burst into flames. Maybe when he grew into his own magic, he would be able to smite his enemies by sheer thought, but today was not that day. 

 

_ We don’t need any more complications _ ….he thought, flicking one ear back to hear Yuuri moving around in the stillroom. He and Yuuri were still working around the subject of Yuri’s shifting, even if he hadn’t changed since that night and had done his best to make Yuuri forget it. It wasn’t as if Yuuri stopped trying to feed him or pet him; he allowed Yuri to lay in his lap, gave him the same shoves off the spellbooks and scolded him when there was a mess. 

 

It was like nothing had changed, but the dragon appearing seemed like a sign.  _ Something _ was about to change and Yuri wasn’t sure if it was for the better. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This started as a series of jokes between a friend and it went downhill from there. I was encouraged to try and make something of it and this is the start of what will be a odd story.


End file.
